(October 14, 2017 at 2:17 am)Godisgood Wrote: When considering how life began, there are only two options. Either life was created by an intelligent source (God) or it began by natural processes.
I think that a natural source is the more likely of the two, considering that science has yet to find any empirical evidence to support the existence of supernatural beings.
Amino acids, the foundation of more complex molecules like RNA and DNA, have self-assembled in chemical solutions comprised of simpler but very common compounds. The elements that life requires (Hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen) are not confined to Earth -- they're all over the solar system, and probably in most planet-containing solar systems in the universe.
DNA formation from inorganic matter may be an uncommon process, but it doesn't have to happen constantly. Once it does start -- and there are lots of opportunities for it to start over the span of billions of years -- it can become a continuous process. I expect to see spontaneous DNA synthesis in a laboratory setting in my own lifetime, probably in the next 5-10 years. Once we have that, we will know that life can arise from non-life via strictly chemical means -- although I suspect there will still be believers who will insist that their god somehow made it happen.
